Rihanna, Kanye, Gaga, and More: A Look Back at the Best Met Gala Party Pictures From the Last Decade

Come Monday night, the quiet halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art will be transformed. Cameras will flash, dress trains will sweep the marble floors, and the sounds of a major music star will electrify the Temple of Dendur. It’s Met Gala time, and that means it’s also party time. This celebration of the Costume Institute has brought reveling celebrities, influencers, entrepreneurs, designers, and politicians under one very iconic roof to indulge in dining and dancing. In 2012, guests like Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake swayed to the beat of Bruno Mars, while 2013 saw Blondie’s Debbie Harry belt out her hit “Call Me” onstage, followed by a Margiela-masked performance by Kanye West (in which serenaded his then-girlfriend, Kim Kardashian).

Throughout the years, the Gala has become so much more than an exquisite and exclusive fashion event—it’s become one of the most watched, and envied, blowouts of all time.

Above, a look back at some of the most celebratory shots from inside Met Galas past and present.